Tuesday, July 26, 2016

Trump & NATO: Not Sexy, But You Should Be Paying Attention

Donald
Trump says sensational things that stir up the press and the people: that Ted
Cruz's father played a role in the assassination of JFK, that Heidi Cruz is
ugly, that Megyn Kelly is menstruating, that women who have abortions should be
punished. On the first night of the DNC, Trump tweeted a cryptic insinuation that
Cory Booker is gay.

By getting
away with saying crazy things,Trump expands his power. And he draws free
publicity to his campaign.

Recently
Trump said dangerous things about NATO.

NATO
is not as sensational as the JFK assassination or insinuations of homosexuality.

"When
asked by the New York Times late Wednesday if he would come to the aid of the
Baltic States – Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania – if they were attacked by
Russia, Trump said he would only do so if the countries 'have fulfilled their
obligations to us,' marking a sharp turn from decades of American foreign
policy that has been a cornerstone of European security …

The
New York billionaire hinted while campaigning in April that if elected
president he would consider withdrawing the U.S. from the alliance. 'It's
possible that we're going to have to let NATO go,' he said. 'When we're paying
and nobody else is really paying, a couple of other countries are but nobody
else is really paying, you feel like the jerk.'

He
went on to say that he would 'call up all of those countries . . . and say 'fellas
you haven't paid for years, give us the money or get the hell out.' I'd say you've
gotta pay us or get out. You're out, out, out . . . Maybe NATO will dissolve,
and that's OK, not the worst thing in the world.'"

"DEREK
CHOLLET: U.S. commitment to NATO and our commitments to our European partners
is not an act of charity. It's not a gift that we give to our European
partners. It's actually part of our security, as well, and their security is
our security.

NORTHAM:
Derek Chollet is a senior advisor with The German Marshall Fund and a former
assistant secretary of defense. He says NATO members, friends and colleagues in
Europe are deeply alarmed about Trump's comments and worry about U.S.
commitments to the alliance.

CHOLLET:
Trump's rhetoric is undermining America's credibility, undermining America's
leadership and strength in Europe, even without him being president. The
rhetoric itself is very damaging. Obviously, if you were to try to implement
any of that rhetoric as president, it would be catastrophic for America's
interests."

In
the Washington Post, Michael McFaul explained in detail why Trump's understanding
of NATO is completely flawed. McFaul is former US ambassador to Russia, special
assistant to the president on the National Security Council, and Stanford
University professor of political science.

McFaul
points out that NATO

Is in
America's strategic interest, makes the world more peaceful and more amenable
to American leadership, benefits the US economically, saves American lives,
prevents the rise of extremists, and has contributed directly to American defense
in both the lives and treasure of our NATO allies.

His
op-ed is excellent and should be read in full; no brief excerpt here can do it
justice. The apt title of McFaul's piece is "NATO Is an Alliance, Not A
Protection Racket." It can be read here.

"Estonia,
along with its Baltic (and NATO) partners, Lithuania, and Latvia, were until
the early 1990s part of the Soviet Union. Bulgaria, the Czech Republic and
Slovakia, Hungary, Poland, and Romania, were, likewise, member of the
Soviet-allied Warsaw Pact, NATO's communist counterpart. When the Soviet Union
collapsed, these former communist countries looked to the West for new
alliances. All are EU and NATO members. Trump's remarks are causing jitters
because the memory of the Soviet Union is still fresh in these states, and they
are increasingly wary at Russia's muscle-flexing under President Vladimir
Putin. (Trump on Putin: 'He's been complimentary of me. I think Putin and I
will get along very well.')"

A NATO
official reminded Trump that NATO came to the defense of the US after 9/11, and
soldiers from NATO countries died in US wars.

"Referring
to the critical 'Article 5' of the treaty which deems an attack on one member
state an attack on all, a NATO official told news.com.au: 'The only time
Article 5 was invoked was after 9/11 in defence of the US, when NATO sent AWACS
to patrol American skies and deployed a third of the troops in Afghanistan for
over a decade, where over one thousand soldiers from non-US Allies and partners
gave their lives.'"

The
National Review reminded its readers of what NATO is and what it has
accomplished.

"For
the past 70 years, U.S. presidents have recognized that defending our national
interests requires using America's overwhelming economic and military power to
support like-minded allies. This vision of a U.S.-led global-security order,
perhaps best embodied by the NATO alliance, has not only prevented major state
conflict since World War II, but has also supported a global system of trade
that has led to unparalleled prosperity for all…

"Trump's
comments betray his deep ignorance of Russia's aggression against the West. As
retired Air Force General Philip Breedlove, former head of U.S. European
Command, notes, 'Moscow is determined to reestablish what it considers its
rightful sphere of influence, undermine NATO, and reclaim its great-power
status.' Furthermore, he says, 'the foundation of any strategy in Europe must
be the recognition that Russia poses an enduring existential threat to the
United States, its allies, and the international order.'

It is
even more important to note that the Baltic nations have, in fact, fulfilled
their obligations to the United States. Despite their small size and limited
military power, these countries were part of the U.S.-led coalitions in
Afghanistan and Iraq, devoting hundreds of troops to each theater throughout
the course of these missions. Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania still maintain a
presence in Afghanistan today, after the end of the coalition's combat mission
at the end of 2014. Donald Trump should be celebrating the Baltic states' brave
determination to stand with the United States — even when they were under no
obligation to do so — instead of flippantly dismissing it.'"

The
rest of this article is equally important. Please read it all here.

Bieganski the Blog exists to further explore the themes of the book Bieganski the Brute Polak Stereotype, Its Role in Polish-Jewish Relations and American Popular Culture. These themes include the false and damaging stereotype of Poles as brutes who are uniquely hateful and responsible for atrocity, and this stereotype's use in distorting WW II history and all accounts of atrocity. This blog welcomes comments from readers that address those themes. Off-topic and anti-Semitic posts are likely to be deleted. Your comment is more likely to be posted if: Your comment includes a real first and last name.Your comment uses Standard English spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Your comment uses I-statements rather than You-statements. Your comment states a position based on facts, rather than on ad hominem material. Your comment includes readily verifiable factual material, rather than speculation that veers wildly away from established facts. T'he full meaning of your comment is clear to the comment moderator the first time he or she glances over it. You comment is less likely to be posted if:You do not include a first and last name.Your comment is not in Standard English, with enough errors in spelling, punctuation and grammar to make the comment's meaning difficult to discern.Your comment includes ad hominem statements, or You-statements. You have previously posted, or attempted to post, in an inappropriate manner. You keep repeating the same things over and over and over again.